Skokomish (tribe)
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Image:Edward S. Curtis Collection People 077.jpgSkokomish is a Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives along Hood Canal, the inland sea west of the Puget Sound. The original name of the Skokomish is Twana and many people in the Skokomish tribe are moving back to calling themselves by that title.
The Skokomish or Twana language belongs to the Salishan family of Native American languages. It is believed by some elders within the Skokomish community (such as Bruce Subiyay Miller) that the language branched off from Lushootseed (xwəlšucid) because of the region-wide tradition of not speaking the name of someone who died for a year after their death. Substitute words were found in their place and often became normalizing in the community, generating differences from one community to the next. Subiyay speculated that this process increased the drift rate between languages and separated Twana firmly from xwəlšucid.
The tribe moved onto their reservation in modern-day Mason County, Washington near the Skokomish River around 1855. Like many Northwest Coast natives, the Skokomish rely heavily on fishing for their survival.
External links
The Skokomish (Twana)people are internationally known for their beautiful basketry and other cultural arts. A sampling of the collection of Skokomish baskets and other cultural artifacts are available at the Burke Museum, on-line exhibit, located at http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/collections/ethnology/collections/index.php. When you reach this website, please enter "Skokomish" in the search box.